


Into Illusia

by SpaceWolfe



Series: Illusia!Verse [1]
Category: The Outsiders - S. E. Hinton
Genre: Animal Death, Centaurs, Curly swears a lot, Elves, Fairies, Fantasy AU, M/M, Tally - Freeform, cheesy ending, war scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:13:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 19,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28122171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceWolfe/pseuds/SpaceWolfe
Summary: Tim Shepard was only looking for his brother after he wandered off. He really didnt expect to be tossed into a world he swore was only legend and fall in love (without his permission) with the annoying Fairy Prince.
Relationships: Marcia/Sherri "Cherry" Valance, Tim Shepard/Dallas Winston
Series: Illusia!Verse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2136678
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	1. The Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Written because I was bored and a Tally fanfiction had spiraled into this. My Tumblr is theoutsiderswriter if you have any questions

Early morning always held a warm place in Tim Shepard's heart for as long as he could remember, He could remember when his mother would wake him and his brother up, telling them to play before they would have to begin on their daily tasks. She would often join them in their early morning fun, playing games such as tag or telling them legends of a land called “Illusia”. 

Illusia was a land rumored to exist at the edge of the nearby forest where only those who were pure of heart could enter. There were many tales about mystical creatures such as fairies and dragons and many more tales about untold riches. 

As a child, Tim often dreamed of this land. A land where Fairies existed and Dragons, and many other beings. He’d often lay in bed dreaming about one of the fabled “Wish Faeries” coming to bring him and his family to their world. A world where they weren't just poor farmers trying to make ends meet, they could have food any time they pleased and never worry about winter. He and his siblings could just play all day and never worry about anything. However, after his mother had died of pneumonia when Tim was ten, Tim had given up on such dreams. Such perfect worlds didn't exist, if they did, he sure was too old to think about them. Curly and Angela had never given up their dreams of such a place, Tim almost envied them for it. 

Tim shook his thoughts aside as he adjusted his position in his hunting stand, bow in his hand with an arrow knocked, waiting for an unfortunate animal to cross his path. He felt bad killing the animals, but it was winter and Tim had to put dinner on the table while his father sold his wood carvings in the capital. He often chastised his fathers for these endeavors, after all, they hardly ever made any substantial amount of money from it and they would be better off selling animal hides, but his father was a stubborn man. 

Tim let out a breath, watching it turn to fog in the early winter air. The wait was boring, and he had lost most feeling in his legs hours ago. He rolled his head and looked out the window, seeing nothing besides the occasional leaf scutter across the snow. He wiggled his fingers to retain the feeling in them. He closed his eyes for a moment before he jolted awake, he couldn’t sleep, not now. He picked up a little nut from the tree and threw it against the floor for some form of entertainment, but eventually, he lost the nut to a small hole in one of the boards. He curled his toes and rose, his eyes widening when he saw a deer. 

He grabbed his bow and drew the string back, eying his prey before letting the arrow fly, grinning as he saw the deer fall, letting out a shriek. His heart was racing and he could almost feel the heat return to his body. He hopped down from his hunting perch, using the ladder to make it safely down. He shook his head, putting his bow over his shoulder, and raced to the deer. He knelt down, frowning at how small the deer was, a year old at most. He sighed, it wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. He grabbed his knife and stabbed the deer in the heart, putting it out of its misery. He pet the soft coat with a sigh before yanking his arrow out and cleaning it on the snow. He picked the deer up, gathering its legs into his hands and dragging it to his faithful horse, Clyde. He threw the deer on the sled and hopped onto Clyde, clicking his horse towards the house.   
He arrived home about 15 minutes later and hopped off Clyde. He went behind the large horse and took the sled off, letting the ropes fall as he grabbed Clyde’s lead rope, bringing the stallion to the stable, and took off his riding gear. He pet Clyde’s sturdy side and made sure he had enough hay and water before returning to the deer. He dragged the sled to the house and hung the deer on the skinning rack. He cut off the fur carefully so he could make a rug out of it and perhaps sell it in town. He set it aside and cut it into the deer’s skin, watching the blood pool onto the wooden table that had the blood of many various animals on it. Tim removed all the internals, sorting them between what was edible and what wasn't, or what could be used for something else (like using intestines to make sausage casings). He then butchered the rest of the deer. He grabbed the bucket of what his family wouldn’t eat and tossed it to the pigs before bringing what would be eaten or used inside. 

The cabin was warmed by the fire, and he smiled seeing his sister trying to mend one of Curlys socks. Her needlework was crude but functional (mother died before she could teach her as Angela had still been young). 

“Did you catch anything?” Angela asked, looking up. The upper part of her lip was red from where her tongue had been poked out in concentration. 

“Not much, but hopefully enough for a couple of weeks if we ration it carefully,” Tim replied, looking at her fondly. Angela reminded him of mother. 

He salted the deer and set the hide in his room to be made into a rug. Tim grabbed a bag filled with furs and skins that had been made into various objects he hoped would give them a few silvers. He brought it down, looking at his sister. 

“Where’s Curly?” He asked. 

“He said he would be at Jane’s house.” Angela shrugged. “Are you heading into town?”

Tim sighed. He swore he would kill his brother one day if he were to get Jane pregnant. “Yes, I am. Would you like anything?”

“More paints if you can find any…” Angela said, looking down. 

Tim smiled softly. “Of course.” He wasn't sure if many paints were being made this time of year, but occasionally he would find the imported color or two. Angela loved to paint, there was not a single surface on the cabin untouched by her paints. It was one of the few joys she got.

Angela smiled brightly and went back to try to fix her brother's sock. 

Tim walked out of the house and made his way into town with his bag, setting it up in one of the vacant stalls as he reached the town square.   
In warmer seasons, the streets would be bustling with the middle class and the lower class like himself. In Winter, it was often just the peasants who were too busy and poor to shop, leading to very few sales today. He frowned. He had sold two furs of his seven for heavily discounted prices, so he only made about 4 Silvers. 

He took his shop down and walked around the various stalls until he found some paints, frowning at the price. There was no way he could afford it, not for 38 Silvers. He sighed, dejected, and gathered his things, returning home empty. 

It was afternoon when he returned home and found Angela making some stew from the deer. She looked at him, frowning when she didn’t see anything in Tim’s hand, but quickly hid it. 

“Did you make anything?” She asked, worried. 

“Just four…” Tim sighed. “Smells good.” He sat down on the kitchen chair and rubbed his sore feet. 

This year had already been the worst in terms of sales. They were running out of money to keep their livestock alive and what livestock they did have was getting too old to produce anything of much value. Tim was horrified at the idea of marrying Angela off for money, but they were running out of options. 

Angela handed him a bowl of stew and smiled sweetly. “Maybe next week will be better.”

“Maybe.” Tim agreed, sipping the broth. “Curly still not back?” 

Angela shook her head and Tim grumbled. He finished his stew quickly and stood. “I’ll be back once I drag that idiot home.”

He left for Jane's house. Jane was their nearest neighbor and in a far better situation than his family, but he swore Curly had an almost unhealthy obsession with the poor girl. He frowned not seeing any sign of Tim. 

He pondered where his brother could have wandered off to. He decided to check the forest. He would need to talk with Curly about how he was too old to believe in Illusia anymore. He went into Neverdam Forest and followed human footprints through the snow until he came to a place that was bizarre, to say the least. 

It was an open clearing, yet there was no snow anywhere, and it was almost warm. Tim arched a brow, but he looked down just in time to see the ground open up like a mouth. He yelped as he felt something pull him down under the ground. He closed his eyes, bracing for death, but found instead he landed on something soft.

He blinked his eyes open as he looked around. It was warm here, almost as though it was summer, which was impossible since it was winter, not summer. He was in a meadow with tall grass and wildflowers, with large trees surrounding him. He wasn’t sure how to describe it, but the world almost seemed to be tinted a gentle warm color. The air was clean and smelled vaguely of honeysuckle. He stood on his feet when he saw a figure approach from the distance. He gazed at it curiously before he noticed it was far taller than he was. 

He backed away as the being drew close. He scanned it...no him as he came close. The figure was tall, with pointed ears and a sharp jawline, with hair that was brown and had a gentle cowlick in the back. He had strong tan skin and hazel eyes. He was at least six feet tall and seemed almost too perfect to be real. He had large muscles and was attractive, but more of the typical dream man girls would describe. 

The man looked just as surprised to see him, and that was all Tim remembered before he fainted.


	2. The Elven Three

The first thing Tim Shepard remembered when he woke up was the feeling of a comfortable bed beneath him.  _ 'Maybe it was all just a dream and I'll wake up at home...'  _ He thought, but then felt more of the bed. It was far too soft to be his. He shifted around and felt his ears pick up three voices in the same room. He sat up, alarmed, only to see three men in the room. 

He saw the one he had seen before he fainted, and by the looks of it, he was the oldest. They seemed far too fancy to be simple peasants, and they probably just had funny looking ears. Yeah, that was it. 

"He's awake." the one in the middle said, tapping the tallest on the shoulder. 

The tallest one turned to him and sat in their nearby chair and put a cool hand to Tim's forehead. "No fever." He hummed. "Are you alright?"

Tim shrugged. "I guess. Where am I?"

"You are in Azer of course." The youngest said. 

"Azer?" Tim arched a brow. Where the hell...?

"Illusia." The youngest said. 

Tim felt his heart stop. "Wait, what? No. I can't be! This place is a myth! You're not real!" He backed away into the corner of his bed until his back pressed against the wall. His heartbeat had returned, although it was now racing. 

"You never heard of Illusia?" The eldest asked. 

"No...I have. Just only in myth. In stories my mother would tell me..." Tim said slowly. 

"You look weird. What are you?" the middle asked. 

"Soda..." The eldest turned to him. 

"What? He does look weird! You can't deny that, Darry." Soda responded. 

"That may be true, but it's still rude to point it out. Honestly, you're 17. You should at least have some decency." Darry scolded. 

Tim was certain these three had to be brothers. Not only did they look the same, but Soda and Darry had a conversation very similar to the ones he would have with Curly. 

"Excuse my brother. He apparently forgot his manners. I am Darry, and these are my brothers Sodapop and Ponyboy." Darry said, fixing his gaze on Tim.

Sodapop had wild Strawberry Blonde hair that seemed as though he had never run a brush through it in his life. He had playful aqua eyes. He had pale skin that was gently sun-kissed. He was tall, although not quite as tall as his brother. He too had long pointed ears, but he had piercings along the lobes, three if Tim could count. He had long slender fingers with the nails painted a nice burgundy. He seemed inhumanly perfect, which made sense since Tim was pretty sure they weren't human, in fact, he was sure they were elves. They reminded him a lot of how mother described them. 

Ponyboy seemed to be the youngest, perhaps as old as Curly. He had long strawberry hair like his brother that he kept tied back in a loose ponytail, and had hazel eyes. He was small but seemed intelligent beyond his years. He had some hints of muscle beyond his gangly teenage form. He was certain he'd be as handsome as his brothers once he matured. 

Tim looked between the brothers. "My name is Tim..."

Darry nodded and sat up. He threw a pile of clothes on the bed beside Tim. "Get dressed. Your clothes are heinous." He pulled his brothers out of the room, giving time room to think. 

* * *

So he was in Illusia. Where was Curly then if not here? Or if he was here, where did he go?

Tim sighed and undressed, running his hands along the soft cotton clothes Darry had given him. He sighed as caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror, running his hands along his sides where he could almost count his ribs. He really did look rough, didn't he? He put on the dark blue tunic first, noting it was quite comfortable and soft, with long sleeves and plenty of room to breathe. It was also a few sizes too big, but clothes were clothes. He then got into the brown trousers, finding them also to be pleasantly comfortable. He got up and walked around slowly, scanning the room. 

It reminded him of his cabin quite a lot. Wooden walls, wooden furniture. On the wall beside his bed there was a nice tapestry that seemed to depict a war scene and to the far end of the room was a window blocked by beige curtains. There was a tall wardrobe with a mirror beside it. A rug filled out the center of the floor leading up to his bed, which held a now messy quilt. He made the bed before heading down the stairs to see the brothers. 

The brothers were gathered around a small circular table, talking and eating breakfast. 

"Welcome back. Come sit, we have breakfast for you." Ponyboy said. 

Tim sat down with the brothers as Darry handed him a plate of.. something thin and circular. "What is it?" He asked before taking a bite. It was delicious and filled with creamed cheese, sweet, but no so sweet it made Tim's teeth ache. 

"Crepes." Soda said, looking proud of himself. 

"Well, they are delicious," Tim said. "Are you guys elves?"

"Light Elves," Ponyboy said. 

"Is there a difference?" Tim asked. 

"Only a huge one! Dark elves are mindless brutes who slaughter families and tear the rest apart!" Soda yelled a bit, making Tim flinch. Sore subject clearly. 

"Soda, quiet," Darry said. 

Soda crossed his arms and grumbled angrily in a language Tim couldn't identify.

"Yes. There is a difference. More so in how we act versus how we look, although I do suppose there are a few small differences there too." Pony said.

Tim could understand. It was like humans, small differences depending on where one is from, but the same basic form. 

"So...are fairies and dragons real too?" He asked. 

"Yeah," Darry said. He pointed to an odd black spot on a wall. "That was left by a dragon."

"How did you fit a dragon in here? Aren't they huge?" Tim asked, feeling boyish excitement fill him. 

"Yes." That was all Darry said before sipping a drink that smelled quite bitter. 

"How do you know English?" Tim asked. 

"We call it common speak. No one is really sure how it came here. But the theory is that humans brought it to us a millennia ago." Ponyboy said. 

"Are there more humans here?" Tim asked curiously. 

"Used to be," Darry said. 

"What happened?" Tim asked. 

"Greed." Pony said, pursing his lips. 

Tim decided it was best not to ask any more questions. 

After a moment, Darry looked at Tim. "Tomorrow we have a meeting with the council."

"Council?" 

"Once a month a few representatives of each species meet up and discuss politics. I want you to come with, given you are major news." Darry said. 

"Why am I news?" Tim asked. 

"You're the first human here in thousands of years.' Ponyboy said. 

* * *

After breakfast, the brothers split off. Darry went to go do some masonry, Sodapop said something about Magic, and Pony had left to the library. 

Tim decided to go out and check out the town. He found it to be quite pretty. Wooden buildings surrounded a river in a valley surrounded by tall mountains. All the elves here seemed beautiful, too beautiful to be real. Even the children seemed perfect. There was a large town square that branched out into a series of cobbled paths that lead to various shops and houses. There were various wealth classes, but they seemed far more cordial and kind to each other as if money was nothing. Tim began to understand why Illusia was described as a place of harmony. Because it was. The only thing that would make it better was if Curly was here. He'd love it here, so would Angela. They could ditch their father and just come here, maybe make amends for what his ancestors had done. 

Tim decided to head to the Library and found a book that seemed to detail the history of Illusia. Most of it bore him until he found the page on humans. 

_ "Illusia and Humans once traded quite often. Humans would bring riches from their land in exchange for what Illusia had. The richest human often made their fortune selling Illusian jewelry made by elves...One day the humans seemed to change their mind about sharing their riches and began the 2000 year war. Many thousands were slaughtered from every race...In the 2000th year, king Hyburn of the fairies pushed the humans away with a great bout of magic, pushing them away, ruining their city, and locking them forever away from Illusia, but left a way for the humans who were pure of heart to enter. Alas, there have been no records of a human ever entering Illusia." _

Tim leaned back and took a breath. Humans sure were messed up...


	3. The council

Tim woke up feeling as though the world was lying to him. He still had a hard time believing he was in Illusia. He of course, still wondered where Curly was, hoping he was at least in Illusia too. He had to be! Illusia had been his dream since he was young, surely Curly was pure enough to enter. He sighed and woke up, smiling a bit as he saw Darry had left him new clothes for today. They were far fancier than the ones he wore yesterday.  _ 'Right, the council.'  _ He thought.

He sat up and put on the clothes and ran a hand through his messy blonde hair. He felt much better than normal, more strong, and not starving for once. He studied himself in the mirror. He wasn't much different in appearance, but he felt loads better than he had since mother had died.

He rolled his neck and came down the stairs, frowning as he didn't see the brothers. "Guys?" He called out curiously, looking for the elves. He noticed the front door was open and went to go investigate, finding the three elves outside. "There you are." 

Darry nodded. "Morning, the meeting will be here soon. The council is on their way." 

"So what exactly is this again?" Tim asked. 

"Politics, discussing what to do with you." Darry shrugged. "Plus you will get to see all the species." 

"Aww man, does this mean assholes 1 and 2 will show up?" Soda whined. 

"Unfortunately." a voice purred from behind.

Tim turned around to see two more elves, only they were different. These elves had purple skin and eyes that were as dark as the night, with long dark nails, and were slightly shorter than their light counterparts. 

The one on the left had loose black hair framing his face and trailing down his neck in loose waves. His skin was a lighter purple and seemed to almost glow. He had a light stubble on his jaw. He wore a dark blue tunic with black embroidery that seemed to follow a series of stars. He wore dark pants with black leather boots that reached his knees. Above it all, he wore a long back cloak. 

The one on the right had curly red hair that seemed out of place compared to the rest of him. His purple was much darker but also seemed to glow. He was tall and muscular, and much like all elves, insanely attractive. He wore a deep maroon shirt that had long puffy sleeves. He wore dark pants and boots like the other dark elf. On his right hand, he had a small collection of jewels that had a suspicious crimson ring around the edges. 

"Hello Robert, Randy," Darry said, nodding to them both. 

"Hello Darrel, miss us?" Randy smirked, revealing his fangs. 

"We could never miss you." Soda said with a glare. 

"Aww. Damn." Robert said. 

"Let's try and keep this cordial in front of the human." Pony said. 

Randy turned to Tim and circled him. "So, this is the human. I'm sure Dally will  _ love  _ to see you."

"Dally?" Tim arched a brow at Darry. 

"The prince of fairies. Well, technically he would be king, but there's some family history there we probably shouldn't tell." Soda said. 

"What? Is there like an evil king in the family?" Tim grinned. 

"Actually yes." Soda responded. 

Tim saw a large shadow fly overhead as it landed. He felt his heart catch in his throat.

It was a giant red dragon, larger than most of the buildings in the village. The beast had a large mouth with a few teeth showing. It had a long body with a long tail, spines trailing down the body. It had long claws on all four of its limbs and a brilliant pair of dark wings. The beast's appearance faded to reveal a man. The man was tall and had patches of scales on various parts of his body. He had mischievous yellow eyes and a pointed nose. The man had curly brown hair he kept styled in slick curls. He had long dark nails with a pair of horns that curled at the ends atop his head. 

"Are you a dragon?" Tim asked dumbly. 

The man grinned and took a breath before opening his mouth and releasing a small bit of fire. "Sure am. Names Two-bit."

Next, Tim heard splashing and saw a male swim through the river, coming up to land by Soda. He was tall and slender and looked mostly human. He had curly dark hair and pale skin. He had a pointed nose and fins where a human's ears would be. He had gills along his neck that didn't appear to be moving. He had webbed hands and had clothes that seemed to be made of scales, or perhaps they were just scales. He smelled of salt. 

Soda beamed seeing him. "Steve!" Soda wrapped his arms around the Fishman.

Steve chuckled and hugged him back. "Miss me?" 

"Of course!" Soda grinned. 

Next, Tim heard a gentle gallop and saw a centaur looking woman, only instead of a horse, it was a deer. She had soft red hair that had small braids in the front. She had golden bands across her bicep on the left. She had deer ears where a humans would be. She wore no top, which made Tim slightly avert his eyes. She had soft brown eyes and pleasant features. Like apparently everything here, she was stunning. 

On her back, was a small woman. About half the size of Tim and had heavily pointed ears and slightly tanned skin. She had neat brown hair in a bob and gray eyes. She wore a dress made from leaves and vines. She was beautiful but too bizarre for Tim's tastes. He wasn't sure what she was, and it felt rude to ask. 

A shadow passed overhead and Tim looked up to see a humanoid figure pass over. The figure landed, revealing two of the most beautiful beings Tim had seen thus far. The smaller one hopped off the tallers back. 

The small one had darkly tanned skin, like the color of lightly roasted coffee or milk chocolate. He had black hair that had a gentle curl in the front. He had gently pointed ears that looked human minus a little point at the tip. He had dark brown eyes and a small physique. He had beautiful wings that had the shape of a butterfly's, only it had a more stained glass appearance, they were beautiful, but one was far too small to be of any use. He was shirtless but wore soft pants and no shoes. 

The taller one, however, was a sight to behold. He had skin that was the color of coffee when milk was added to it. He had white dots across his face that seemed to be freckles. He had messy brown hair that looked forever windswept with gently pointed ears. Atop his head, he had a small pair of deer antlers like the ones Tim would see on young bucks. He had a sharp, pointed face that seemed both delicate and yet strong. He had a pointed nose. He was about as tall as Tim. He had a large pair of brown owl-like wings (barn owl, specifically). He was shirtless but had various vines that wrapped around his arms that had small leaves attached to them and seemed to shift as if they had a mind of their own. His right bicep had a beautiful blue flower on it wrapped with the vines. He wore a wrap around his waist that was held up by another vine. He was shoeless but had another vine wrapped around his ankles, one for each. On his head, he wore a crown that was made from vines and had small wildflowers laced throughout as well as feathers and small jewels. He wore a choker made from a vine that held a sky blue pendant that matched his eyes. He seemed both ancient and young all at once. 

"What? See something you like?" The fairy grinned. 

"Uh..."

"Dal, cut it out. It's his first time seeing any of us ever." Cherry said. She fixed her gentle gaze onto Tim. "So you are the human Pony spoke of."

Tim nodded, tearing his gaze away from the fairy. He felt out of place amongst these beautiful beings. He was just a boring little human. 

"I should take him. My great-great-grandfather was the one to send humans away. It's only fair I should take him. He is my responsibility. If my grandfather could do it, I'm sure I can find a way to send him back." Dallas said, turning to Tim. 

"Wait...have you seen my brother?" Tim asked. "He looks like me, just smaller." 

Dallas shook his head. "If he is here, the world would have already made a fuss. Or he is in no-mans land."

"No-mans land?" 

"The place the exiled go," Dallas said. "I can't carry both of you, which means the human gets to be carried by the ankle for the next 3 hours!" He grinned viciously at Tim and then fondly at the smaller Fairy. 

Tim was already afraid.

* * *

Tim let Dallas get his friend onto his back and rise into the air before relaxing. 

Dallas grabbed Tim harshly by the ankle and took off into the sky.

Tim felt every flap of the wings above him as he saw the familiar place become smaller and smaller, before it was gone, replaced by sprawling forest. Had he not been presently upside down and terrified, it would have been beautiful. 

* * *

Tim decided being upside down sucked after the first hour. 

After they reached what Tim had called 'fairyland', which took slightly longer since Tim needed to stop every once in a while to soothe the migraine that was forming. 

Fairyland was a beautiful forest inside of a cliff that had a large waterfall that lead to a stream flowing through it. Beautiful small cottages were lining the cliff and sometimes sitting in a tree. There were small flower buds that held a gentle light that floated around the place, providing lighting. Connecting the two sides of the cliff, or rather ravine, were lovely wooden bridges. 

Dallas flew down to an enclave tucked behind the waterfall which held a large sprawling place that had been carved into the cliffs.

It was almost all an indoor garden with vines snaking up the walls of the cave. There was a large central room filled with a long table and branched off. Behind the largest chair was a large tapestry that depicted the entire royal family tree. 

Dallas dropped Tim and let Johnny down gently. 

"Welcome to Lorule," Dallas said.

He grabbed Tim again and brought him down to the dungeons and chained him up. "Just in case. Sleep well, human."

Tim watched Dallas leave, then his shadow, and finally the door closed, encasing Tim in darkness. 


	4. Fairies

Tim was not entirely sure what he was expecting to see when he woke up...but it sure was not a tiny yellow fairy fluttering before his face.

She was small, possibly about the size of Tim's Index finger. She had yellow skin and yellow hair wore yellow clothes and seemed to glow yellow as well.

"Oh! You are awake. Finally. I've never seen a human this close before! Oh, this is so exciting! When papa said he had a human in the dungeons, I almost didn't believe him. But I probably should papa more when he says things, he hasn't lied before yet I always assume he is. Does that make me a bad daughter? Oh no, what If I upset papa because I didn't believe him...?" She rambled in a cute high-pitched voice. "Oh! Excuse my rambling. My name is Nectar. I'm a pollinator fairy."

Tim had so many questions he wasn't entirely sure where to begin. "Papa? Pollinator?"

"Oh, he must not have given you the rundown." Nectar grinned. 

Tim wasn't entirely sure he was even meant to have the rundown. Whatever that meant. 

"Come on, I'll explain it on the way." Nectar said, fluttering away with her little yellow wings. 

"Uh...I'm not sure I'm allowed to leave." Tim said gently. "I am a prisoner."

Nectar giggled. "Come on. I'll take the blame, you silly human. Just open the door, my friend Ja picked the lock for you."

Tim gently pressed against the door and chuckled as it opened. He followed the small fairy out of the palace and he looked around in awe. 

There were beautiful dense forests and a large river ran through the village from the large waterfall that was before the palace. There were even more small buildings dotted throughout, some so small Tim almost couldn't see them. There were many different fairies of different shapes, sizes, and colors. 

"The blue fairies are water fairies. They control rain and of course water. The pink ones are garden fairies, they control plant growth. The yellow fairies like me are pollination fairies, we make sure plants stay alive. The red ones control the animals of the world, their called animal fairies." Nectar said. "I don't remember what the bigger fairies do..." She pouted at the last part. "Papa tells me a bunch and yet I can never remember..."

"It's okay. I'm sure he'll explain it again." Tim said. "Is he the nature Fairy...Dallas?" 

Nectar nods eagerly. "He controls the life cycle, the sun, the moon, the stars, what colors appear in the sky, the Aroura lights, and he makes more fairies, which is why we call him papa."

Tim smiled a bit and followed her around for the rest of her tour. She seemed quite young and joyful. 

* * *

Nectar brought him back to the castle, where a very disapproving Dallas was waiting for her. 

"Nectar?" he said. "What have I told you about the dungeons?"

"To not go..." Nectar looked down. 

Dallas nods. "And?"

"To not let any prisoners out. But he seemed so nice papa! He didn't touch anything..." Nectar pouted in defense of herself. 

"Doesn't matter. You still disobeyed me." Dallas said. 

Nectar looked down and her little wings drooped. 

"Hey, don't be so hard on her," Tim said. "I asked her to let me out." 

Dallas turned to her. "Head out. Double duty today for your disobeying." 

Nectar nodded and flew off quickly. 

"And since you're out and you did take the fall for something I know isn't true, I guess I can let you out and show you the palace," Dallas said. "Follow me."

Tim nodded and followed Dallas into the palace and he was brought before the tapestry in the main room. It was almost 20 feet tall and 15 feet long. It had a large tree in the middle and it had a large family tree that ended with Dallas. "This is every nature fairy and mate there ever was. Every time one is born, they added here. It also is said this tapestry already knows who we will mate, that's what that blank tile beside me is."

Tim nodded and looked at him.

"Anyway. I have some business in Azer tomorrow. So you best prepare for a flight." Dallas said

"Why didn't you just stay?" Tim asked. 

Dallas turned to him annoyed and threw him back in the cell. 

* * *

The next Day, Dallas brought him back to the land of the light elves, but he didn't get to see his new friends this time. He was there simply because Dallas had to talk politics with the true king of the light elves, King Rynirr, and his wife, Queen Anastasia. 

Rynirr was tall, pale, and had long blonde hair that traveled to his butt. He had long pointed hair and a handsome square face that had a light stubble on it. He was about 6'6 and wore elegant seafoam robes. He looked far older than the other elves that Tim had seen. 

Anastasia had soft auburn hair and gentle brown eyes. She wore a puffy maroon dress. She was beautiful, but as was everything else, so much so she seemed almost plain. 

Tim listened with light interest, but politics had always been a bore to him, so he looked around the palace, seeing a few maps of Azer and what Tim was sure where the other lands of other species. He decided to go visit the library since the King had permitted him to explore as he pleased. 

He went into the library which had shelves from the floor to the ceiling and some of them flew around. Some candles provided light. Tim grabbed a candelabra and explored the titles, finding fairytales (He wondered what fairytales a land he once thought a fairytale had), history books, and encyclopedias. Tim didn't find anything too interesting, so he just grabbed a history book. 

**_ "...The great war is said to have begun over 900,00 years ago when the two first elves reached a feud. Rews, the brother and the ancestor of all dark elves had many different views on the world and how it should be run compared to his sister, Winine. The brother and sister clashed for around 30 years before Rews proclaimed that he would return in 15 years with an army and that they would meet on hatchkik hill. Winine agreed and amassed her army from large groups of nomadic beings called halflings, the ancestors to every single elf...15 years later brother and sister met on Hatchkik hill and the war began. Rews was killed in battle and what few survivors there were fled...Winine died of a broken heart over the grief of killing her brother. Her son, King Mide tried to have a peaceful reign, fathering many children, all of whom are all the true ancestors of the fair light elf species...Rews had a child as well, a daughter name Laurn who is the true ancestor to all dark elves...Son and daughter continued the fight their parents started in revenge, and the war continues today..." _ **

Tim sighed and set the book down, looking at the drawing of the siblings. He leaned back and thought about things he hadn't dared thought about in years, all concerning mother. 

* * *

_ 'Mama look! I caught a butterfly!" Tim grinned, racing up to his mother as fast as his little legs could carry him. He wasn't yet old enough to do work on the farm, but he liked being outside with his family, and mother who was heavy with her second child. She hummed sweetly at Tim.  _

_ "Is that so my dear? Come, let me see." his mother, Eileen smiled softly at her young son.  _

_ Tim opened his hands revealing the yellow wings of the butterfly.  _

_ "He sure is a beauty, isn't he?" Eileen said softly. "You should let him go though, he won't be happy with you." _

_ "Why not?" Tim pouted.  _

_ Eileen pulled Tim onto her lap and looked at him. "Well, butterflies are just what fairies from a land called 'Illusia' look like when they cross into this world." _

_ "Fairies?" Tim looked up at his mother with curious blue eyes.  _

_ "Yes. Fairies. There are all sorts of creatures from Illusia. Elves, gnomes, trolls, mighty dragons, sirens, and of course fairies." Eileen said. "Illusia is a land filled with beauty and magic. A beautiful place that is said that only those who are truly pure of heart may enter. Some believe Illusia is the land our dreams come from." _

_ "Could I go there, mama?" Tim asked.  _

_ "One day, maybe. And when you do, I want you to tell me all about it." Eileen kissed Tim's nose. "Now run along." She set Tim down and turned back to milking the cows.  _

_ Tim went to a flower and carefully set down the little butterfly. "Bye-bye, mister Fairy." He looked around for something new to do and decided to catch a frog he saw hop past him.  _

* * *

Tim blinked the memory away and turned to see Dallas looking at him. "What were you thinking about? I called your name like a dozen times. I was starting to think you were dead."

"You just wish I was," Tim grumbled. "I was thinking about my mother."

"I see," Dallas responded. 

"She died when I was 14 or so. Pneumonia. Do you remember yours?" Tim said. 

Dallas sighed. "Only vaguely. She died when I was quite young. She was the previous Nature fairy, and once we reproduce we only live long enough to bring our child out of infancy. Then we die. I would have been 20 when she died, which would make me 2 in human terms."

Tim had a hard time imagining the fairy before him as a small toddler, but he had an even harder time imagining the fairy's mother and what she may have looked like. "What was her name?"

"Elysium. Yours?" Dallas replied.

"Eileen." Tim looked down a bit. 

A comfortable silence fell between the two for a while before Dallas stood. "Well, we should head back." 

Tim nodded and followed Dallas outside. He was surprised to see Dallas crouch down.

"Well? You getting on?" Dallas asked. 

Tim nodded after a moment and carefully climbed onto the fairies back, wrapping his arms around his front to keep hold as Dallas rose into the air. 

After a few hours, he decided that flying was a lot nicer when he wasn't upside down. He could feel every as Dallas gave a flap under him. He could see the trees and the sky as it faded into night. He saw Dallas's necklace briefly light up before the sun began to set and the moon rise. He felt oddly comfortable like this. 

"Will I get to see all the lands?" He asked. 

"Probably," Dallas said. 

Tim smiled a bit and let the quietness take him away. 


	5. Starfall

Tim woke up one day, glancing at the calendar he assumed he had been with Dallas for about a week. It had been the same for the last week, but today just felt different. He could hear eager bustling outside which made him curious. He rubbed his eyes and stretched until his spine gave a pleasing crack. Tim sighed and put on fresh clothes Dallas had left for him the previous night before stepping out of his cell. He wondered if Dally would ever actually give him a room or if he was forever confined to a cell. He shook the thoughts away as a couple of green fairies passed by him holding small lights while others had banners. They were strung throughout the trees and even the smallest houses seemed decorated the occasion, whatever it was, 

"What's going on?" He asked curiously, seeing Dallas telling the fairies where to put things. 

"Starfall," Dallas replied. "You humans call it Christmas I believe." 

"Oh. Starfall?" Tim raised a brow. 

Dallas excused himself and turned to Tim. "Well, this day every year, a large meteor shower occurs for almost a full night. We use it to bring luck to the cold season which starts soon. Basically, it is a giant party."

"Do the others celebrate it too?" Tim asked.

"Yes, but you can only actually see it and experience it here," Dallas said. "You best dress up tonight, human." 

"I have a name," Tim grumbled. 

"I know." Dallas grinned. 

Tim rolled his eyes. Stupid fairy.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a place much darker than the bright, fantastical land where the fairies resided, a king sat on his throne. His room was dark, the only light came from the moon. The room was decorated with eons worth of war memorabilia. There was a faded purple rug that ran from the hallway into the throne room. The king laid back, thinking about his plans and how they were uterly ruined now, he had missed his chance and now would have to wait. He grumbled his thoughts to himself as he rested his jaw on his hand. 

"Ugh, ever since my son took the throne, Illusia has been more connected than ever!" He grumbled. 

"King Surtyr...your majesty?" A small dark elf said. 

"What is it, General?" Surtyr sat up, looking at the elf with a blank yet darkened expression. 

"There have been reports of humans in Illusia." She said meekly. 

"What do you mean there are humans in Illusia?" He asked, his voice echoing through the room, making the small elf flinch. 

"Exactly that, your majesty..."The General said, looking down. "He's been spotted with your son..."

King Surtyr cursed before getting an idea. "Deni, ready some soldiers..." Surtyr gave a malicious grin. 

Deni nodded and raced off. 

* * *

That night, around sunset, Tim was ushered into a room by an excited Nectar and some of her friends. 

"What is it, girls?" He asked, looking at them.

"We're gonna help you get dressed of course!" Nectar beamed, barely able to contain her excitement. She flew around the room and came back dragging an outfit against the floor, it was far too big for her little body. 

Tim chuckled at the little fairies. "Okay. Get out. A man needs his privacy you know." 

The fairies giggled before scurrying out of the room. 

Tim undressed and cleaned up a bit, making sure he was well shaved, not that he was sure why he cared so much.

He laid out the outfit the fairies had chosen on the bed. He put on the white button-up shirt first that had more buttons than Tim had ever seen in his life. He then put on the black trousers that were made of a material Tim couldn't identify, but it didn't matter since it was comfortable. He put on knee-high black leather boots followed by a navy blue petticoat that had a large sprinkling of Glitter and the edges had silver and black embroidery. He looked in the mirror and smiled, before frowning at his hair. It was far too long and messy for such an outfit. He searched the room before finding a thin strand of leather to tie it with. He tied it into a small ponytail. He grinned in pride and stepped out. 

The fairies raced over and grinned. "You look amazing!" Nectar cooed, the others nodding in agreement. 

"Thanks," Tim replied. "Where's papa?"

"Outside." Nectar replied, scurrying out, her friends racing after her. 

Tim followed and looked around before spotting Dallas. He stopped and just...stared. 

Dallas was dressed in a navy blue shirt that had glitter on it, with navy blue pants and silver boots that went slightly over his knees. Behind him, he had a large sheer cape that had stars embroidered on it and seemed to sparkle even when there didn't appear to be light touching it. Atop his head, instead of his normal crown, he wore a headpiece that also had stars across it and seemed to be made of silver. He had his usual choker on, only it was silver as well and the jewel was a deeper blue. His hair was messy but had bits of glitter throughout, and he appeared to have glitter on his face too. In his ears, he had beautiful piercings in them which also were made from silver. 

Dallas caught him staring and quirked a brow. "Yes?"

"Nothing." Tim shook his head and approached Dallas. "I've just never seen you so dressed up is all."

"Well, don't get too used to it." Dallas grinned before seeing Johnny walk closer. 

Johnny was dressed in a light yellow top with dark pants and boots, his hair was messy like usual, and he too had glitter on his face. 

"I don't believe you two were properly introduced. This is Johnny, I've known him since I was 900." Dallas said. 

Johnny gave an awkward smile and Tim gave a polite nod. 

"Well, help yourself. We still have a couple of hours before the Starfall begins." Dallas said, gesturing to the food table. 

Tim walked over and saw various wines and foods he wasn't sure what they were, but defiantly could only come from Illusia. He put a few things on his plate and held conversation for the next few hours before the sky turned the darkest Tim had ever seen.

* * *

The sky was pitch black now, and the only light came from the floating candles and the lights the smaller fairies gave off. He saw one shooting star, then another, and another, until soon, the whole sky was filled with them. He looked to his left to see Dallas looking even more regal and impressive than normal. His wings, instead of being brown, were a bright purple color and the white dotes across his face seemed to glow, in fact, Dallas seemed to glow in general. 

Johnny's wings looked normal for once. They were an equal size and glowed slightly. 

"He's a wish fairy," Dallas explained. "This is the one night of the year he can grant his own wishes until sunrise. His is to fly obviously." 

Tim nodded, feeling bad for the smaller fairy. He couldn't imagine. He blinked the thought away and turned to Dallas, holding out his hand. 

Dallas looked confused but took his hand. Tim found Dallas's hands to be pleasantly warm and soft. 

Tim gave a smile and lead Dallas to the top of a hill. He turned and grabbed Dallas's other hand, putting it around his neck. 

"What are you...?" Dallas asked.

"Dancing," Tim said. "Humans do it at parties like this."

"I don't know how to dance..." Dallas mumbled. 

"I'll teach you, it isn't hard," Tim said, wrapping his other arm around Dallas's waist. "Just follow my lead. Left, right, back, forward, spin." Tim said, moving in time with his words. 

He could almost hear music playing in his head. He could imagine it now, a piano playing music that echoed through the room, or in the case, the ravine. He spun naturally before closing his eyes, letting the warm feeling wash him away into peacefulness. He felt calm here, like this. He enjoyed the feeling of the fairy in his arms more than he cared to admit. It was warm, comfortable, and it felt safe. He could stay here forever like this, just here...

He was reminded of his youth when his mother had taught him to dance.

He smiled as Dallas picked up on it quickly. "You're a natural." He whispered against Dallas's ear, smirking as he felt the fairy shutter at his voice. 

"I always am," Dallas smirked, but not in the usual mischievous way. He found himself leaning into Tim, who was quite comfortable. 

Tim smiled softly at the feeling and rested his chin on Dallas's head for a moment before he spun. 

They danced the rest of the night away when Dallas turned to him. He took his hand and lead Tim into the palace, but instead of a cell, he brought him to a bedroom. 

"Here," Dallas said. "Sleep well, Tim." He turned and walked out of the room, his wings returning to their natural brown color and the glowing fading. 

Tim smiled a bit and closed the door quietly, undressing down to his boxers and climbing into bed. 

_ "Tonight was fun...and Dallas wasn't as annoying as usual."  _ Tim thought, his heart skipping a beat at the thought of Dallas. He brushed it off in favor of sleep, however.


	6. Cycles

Tim woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside the room Dallas had given him after Starfall. He found it odd that no one had woken him up, he had grown accustomed to it. He shook the thought aside as he sat up, stretching. He got dressed and brushed his hair before stepping outside the room. He arched a brow seeing a bright light come from a room nearby. He walked towards the light and peeked his head into the room. 

He saw Dallas sat in the middle of the room, looking content yet he was surrounded by flower buds that were about the size of Tim's hand. 

"Dallas? What are you doing? What is this place?" Tim asked, stepping more into the room. 

"Welcome to the nursery. This is where new fairies are born. I'm here to help them since these seem about ready to be born." Dallas replied, turning to face Tim. 

Tim scanned the room, which he then noticed with filled with buds of various sizes. Some were no larger than a coin, and others were slightly smaller than the ones that surrounded Dallas. 

"How can you tell?" Tim didn't see any difference. 

"Well, one, size. Second, these are far more colorful." Dallas gestured to the ones surrounding him. 

Tim nodded slowly and stepped closer to Dallas, being careful of the buds before sitting beside him. He ignored the feeling of warmth that filled his chest as he sat beside him. He curiously touched the bud closest to him and found it gave a pleasant warmth, like the warmth that comes from the perfect bath temperature. Tim saw one move and looked at Dallas, who also turned to face it. 

"Come on out." The fairy said to the bud. He gently ran a hand along it as if giving it comfort. 

Tim watched as the bud slowly opened, revealing a small blue fairy. It looked fully grown but was still smaller compared to the others Tim had seen earlier when Nectar had given her tour. 

"He'll grow," Dallas said, gently unfolding the small fairy's wings. "Your name is Lumius."

The fairy rose into the air and gave a small twirl before fluttering away. 

"Do you know all the fairies' names? How do you tell them apart?" Tim asked in awe. 

"I do. And I guess I just know." Dallas shrugged. "I think it's just because I am technically the prince."

"Wouldn't you be a king?" Tim asked, before remembering that the elven brothers had mentioned something about that. 

"King is such an odd word. Most think it goes to someone noble and in charge. For me, King means the man who raped my mother." Dallas said coldly. 

Tim nodded and looked down, deciding to not press. 

Dallas went back to tending the buds as Tim stepped away, the pleasant mood killed.

_ "Damnit Tim, you suck..."  _ A little voice in the back of his mind said. 

* * *

Tim brushed it off, deciding to go for a walk instead. He found the lands Dallas ruled to be quite pleasant and beautiful. He looked around, admiring the tall trees that had small fairies fluttering about. He wasn't sure what way he was walking, but it didn't matter. Tim had always been an excellent navigator. 

He stopped when he heard a weird noise. He turned and looked around, brushing it off after a moment of silence. 

"Drems, what happened to stealth?" Qurea asked, her voice in a low whisper. 

"Oops...sorry.." Drems replied. 

"Doesn't matter. Move your fat ass." Qurea said. 

Drems rolled his eyes. Qurea had always been so bossy. He wondered why the king always paired them together, since it is not like they ever did very well on missions. He wondered if this was Dami's punishment for him after he had gotten drunk with Bob and Randy the day before an expedition. He crept forward and watched the human. 

* * *

Tim continued walking, although now on edge. Hew stopped when he caught sight of a gray, ugly kingdom. He heard a twig snap, and suddenly out of the bushes came two dark elves. He looked at them, perhaps they were just walking like he was. He stared at them and they stared back before he felt a strong pair of arms wrap around him. He struggled and looked up, seeing the largest Dark elf he had ever seen. He continued to struggle before he felt a knife be pressed against his neck. 

"The king wants you dead." The large elf holding him and the knife.

"Why...?" Tim asked. he didn't think he had done anything to upset the dark elves. 

"Uh...do we know?" Drems asked curiously. 

Qurea rolled her eyes. "No. And it doesn't matter." 

Tim continued to struggle but stopped as he felt the knife get dug into his neck. 

"Finish it, Nert." Qurea grinned evilly, 

Nert began to drag the knife across Tim's neck, making Tim close his eyes when suddenly the knife stopped. 

Tim peered an eye open to see Dallas in between all three of the elves, his feathers puffed up, his eyes wild. 

"Why are you here?" Dallas asked, his voice dark and cold. 

"None of your business, pretty boy," Qurea said.

"It is my business when you are in my lands, harassing my prisoner," Dallas said, looking at all the elves. 

Tim almost felt flattered Dallas saw him as his. 

Dallas growled and looked around at all the dark elves surrounding him.

"Oh enough of this," Qurea said, lunging towards Dallas and pulling out a sword. 

Dallas rolled his eyes and formed a sword from a nearby branch and parried her strike. He dodged her second blow, landing on of his own with his elbow, spinning around gracefully, and slashing her leg with his blade. Qurea hissed in pain, taking another swipe at Dallas, but missed once more. Dallas had many more decades of swordplay compared to her. 

Tim sighed and watched the fight, before noticing he wasn't being held anymore, which concerned him a bit. He looked around for the giant elf, frowning when he didn't see him. How could you lose a giant like that? He heard Dallas yell and turned around to see Dallas was trapped in a metal net. He then remembered all the fae legends of how iron burns them, and Dallas was being burned. 

"Dallas!" He yelled in a panic. He ran to the fairy as the elves ran off. Bastards. He pulled the net off, frowning at the burns crisscrossing the now unconscious fairy's body. He picked Dallas up carefully into a bridal style (He was much heavier than Tim thought). He carried him into his kingdom and saw Johnny run forward. 

"I heard the commotion.." Johnny frowned. "He's burned."

"The bastards had an iron net." Tim hissed. 

Johnny gestured for Tim to follow, leading him into a circular hut he assumed was Johnny's house. 

Tim sat Dallas onto the couch and watched Johnny walk around grabbing various ingredients and boiling them together. 

"Iron does more than burn fairies," Johnny said. "It also is a poison, expose a fairy to too much of it, and that fairy will die, regardless of if it is a nature fairy or not." 

"Is that why he passed out?" Tim asked, worry filling his voice. 

"Yes. Lucky for him, I know the antidote and it wasn't severe exposure." Johnny said, returning with a small vial of a clear liquid. He tipped Dallas's head up and poured the liquid down his throat. "There, in a few hours, the iron will be gone."

Tim nodded and gazed at Dallas, concerned. He hoped the fairy would be okay, mostly because he wasn't sure what he would do if he wasn't. 

Johnny saw his concern and gave a small smile. "Dallas is strong, he'll live," Johnny assured, sitting beside Tim. 

Tim gave a brief nod and looked at the fairy beside him. "I sure hope so. Otherwise ill kill those bastards myself." 

Johnny gave a warm chuckle and smiled at him. "You and me both."

The two sat in comfortable silence for a while before Tim sighed. 

"They mentioned their king..." He began slowly. 

Johnny turned to look at him. 

"He sounds like a dick," Tim said. 

"He is. King Surtyr is....a dick to say the least." Johnny began slowly. 

Tim nodded and looked at the smaller fairy. "Dallas also mentioned his father was a king...is he...?"

"Yes." was Johnny's simple response. 

Tim fell silent after that. 


	7. The fire

Cherry was having a pretty good day today. The fawns were playing in the tall grass that filled their hidden meadow. Marcia for once wasn't a snappy grump in the morning, and there had been a beautiful sunrise this morning. Cherry walked around contently, gathering rocks she found on the way, she had a bit of a habit of collecting rocks, which she then would make into necklaces for her friends or Dallas. She bent down and picked up a white rock that had stripes of jade in it. She put them into a pouch she carried on her side as she walked through the less-used paths of her home. She stopped to pick up a daisy, sniffing it. She heard the birds chirping above her as she trotted happily along. 

_ 'Marcia would like this...'  _ She thought, putting the daisy in her satchel with her rocks. She hoped it wouldn't be crushed. 

She decided that was enough for today and turned around, heading back to the meadow. She passed through the forest, smiling as she arrived home, seeing the fawns still playing under their mothers' watchful eyes. She saw the nursing or still pregnant fawns collecting berries, the unpregnant females built the various structures, while the bucks did their various jobs. She went to her treehouse and smiled seeing Marcia was cleaning. "Hello Marcia," She greeted, handing her the daisy. 

Marcia smiled and turned to her, planting a brief kiss on Cherry's lips. "Welcome back." 

Cherry smiled and walked off, setting her satchel aside. She smiled at her and stood by the table as she got onto her knees, relaxing as she began to whittle the stones. 

"I just cleaned that table." Marcia pouted. 

Cherry chuckled warmly and turned to her. "I'll make yours look really nice."

Marcia sighed and sat by her lover, looking at her as she did her stone working. She enjoyed these peaceful moments. 

"So, what do you think about having kids one day?" Marcia asked. 

Cherry turned to look at her. "Rather sudden to ask don't you think? There wasn't even any build-up." she sniffed. 

Marcia shrugged. "Does there need to be any?" She asked, looking at Cherry. 

"Well, it wouldn't be as sudden." Cherry sighed. "But I wouldn't hate it."

They worked for a few hours before Cherry smelled smoke. 

"Do you smell smoke?" She asked, looking at Marcia. 

Marcia nodded and both girls rose to their feet. Marcia hopped on Cherrys back as Cherry ran out. 

Cherry saw smoke rise into the air and raced forward, yelping as she was blacked by fire. Marcia adjusted her grip and looked up, terrified. 

"Move Cherry!" She yelled, pulling on Cherry's hair gently as if it was a pair of reigns. 

Cherry took off running, gathering up what fawns she could. "Come on, we have to go!" She yelled. She stopped seeing a fawn trapped under a tree. She raced forward and tried to lift the tree, but it was much too heavy. Even when Marcia helped, it was too heavy. Cherry felt her eyes water as she gently pet the small fawns hair. "I'm sorry.." She sobbed before racing ahead once Marcia was on her back again. She did her best to drown out the fawn's cries. 

Once safe, she sent for a hawk. 

* * *

Dallas walked around the palace, attending to his daily duties for the day. He wasn't sure where Tim was, but he wasn't very bothered. He flew around, observing his lands contently. It had been a fairly calm day so far, no drama, no politics for him to deal with, it was just him, the air, and some paperwork to do later.

He landed as he saw a messenger hawk flew to him. He held his arm out and caught the bird. He gave it a treat as he untied the parchment. He frowned reading over it. 

**_ 'Dallas, _ **

**_ Hyln is on fire. The whole forest is burning. We need prompt assistance." _ **

**_ -Cherry _ **

Dallas went to find Tim quickly, finding him with Nectar and some water fairies. "Tim, we have to go." He said quickly. 

Tim was surprised to see Dallas come so quickly, but he hopped on his back and Dallas rose into the air. 

"What's up?" Tim asked, keeping his arms around Dallas. 

"Cherry's land, the forest of Hyln, is on fire," Dallas said. 

Tim frowned. "Not to sound rude...but why do you care so much?"

"Well, one it's polite. And also I grew up with her for a couple hundred years." Dallas replied. 

"So she's your sister?" Tim asked. 

"If that is what you want to call it," Dallas said. 

Tim stayed silent for the rest of the flight, admiring Dallas's strong wings and just how fast they could carry the two of them.

* * *

They arrived in Hyln after a few hours.

Tim coughed. The sky was almost pure gray smoke. 

"How can you see anything?" He asked.

Dallas didn't say anything. He landed and saw the deer and nymphs just staring at the forest. 

"Cherry.." He said, stopping to let Tim off before Cherry pulled Dallas into a hug. 

"It-Its all gone...' She sobbed softly. 

Dallas wrapped his arms and wings around her human half. "It's okay." He said softly. "Do you know what caused it?"

Cherry shook her head. "It just started...I was making my necklaces and then I smelled smoke..." She wiped her face as Dallas pulled away. 

"I'll go look," Dallas said. "You stay here." 

Tim walked to Cherry and sighed. "I'm sorry," he said softly. 

"Don't be. Fires happen. It just is cruel it happened when not all the fawns are able to walk." Cherry said. "It is odd, given it's not fire season..."

Tim looked around and checked over all the babies that survived. Some had broken legs, or other limbs broken. He looked over and saw a small collection of the dead, most of which were young children. He looked away and helped who he could. 

Dallas flew through the forest, looking around for any reason for it to start. He looked around, seeing bare, blackened trees that should have been filled with lush green leaves. he saw bare spots where normally there would be tall grass and wildflowers. The forest just looked so dead. He came to the tree he had played on when he had been younger, around 400 or so. it was still standing, but its bark was black and its leaves gone, nothing more than charcoal now. He ran his hand tenderly across it, pulling his hand back and seeing a black, dusty stain on his fingers. He cleared it off his hands and sighed before continuing along. 

He came across a fallen tree that had a small baby under it. He knelt down and checked for a pulse, sighing in relief when he felt a very faint thump. He used his nature magic to lift the tree so he could get the fawn out. He held the small fawn in his arm as he continued through the forest, looking for any sign of what may have started the fire. 

He stopped when he saw a torch that was made by a rare purple branch that only grew in his father's land. He growled and grabbed it, flying back to Cherry and showing her. he gently set the fawn down with the others that Tim was tending to. Had the situation not been so angering, Dallas may have found it sweet. 

"There...there is your cause, Dark elves," he said, tossing it aside. 

"Dark elves...is he trying to start a massive war?" Cherry asked, concerned. 

"Possibly," Dallas said. "You all are welcome to stay in my land." 

Cherry nodded. 

Tim gently looked over the small fawns, giving the ones that were awake some water. He brushed his hand over the fur of the small one Dallas had brought out of the forest. he was asleep and probably dehydrated and hungry, but Tim figured waking him up would only stress him, which was the opposite of what the poor thing needed. Tim smiled as a young girl laid her head in his lap. He ran his fingers through her soft hair. "Get some rest little one," he told her. 

* * *

Ponyboy was walking around the village when he saw another, smaller human. 

"Uh...hello?" He asked slowly. 

The human looked up, startled. he had messy caramel hair with soft hazel eyes. He had pale skin. "Uh...Who are you?" He asked. "Are you an elf?"

"Yes," Ponyboy said, staring at the human. "Oh, my name is Ponyboy."

"My name is Curly." The human said. 


	8. The one with the blade

Dallas and Tim had escorted the deer to Dally's kingdom before preparing for a meeting of the council that would be held. Dallas had called for the meeting, muttering something in his native tongue, which he still hadn't taught Tim, but it didn't bother him as much as it used to. It sounded complicated and not at all like it would be pleasant to learn. Tim watched Dallas pace around the halls of the great hall anxiously. The only species not invited was the dark elves, which made sense, Tim supposed. 

"Dal, relax." He said. "You'll wear down the floor with all your pacing."

Dallas turned to him, annoyance across his face. "Don't tell me what to do, human. It's not like your the one whose father is trying to start a damn war!" Dallas said to Tim, his voice raised.

Tim held his hands up in surrender. "Alright. Alright."

Dallas huffed and returned to his pacing. 

Cherry was sat by Tim, waiting for the others to arrive. She looked at Tim, then Dallas, and back to Tim. "Don't mind him. He gets like this when he is upset. He was like this when mam died." 

Tim nodded a bit. "Will he ever calm?"

"Eventually." Cherry shrugged. She sighed softly. "I do worry though."

"Why?" Tim asked, looking at her. 

"If Surtyr is trying to start a war, there is no doubt he will succeed." She responded, fiddling with her hands. 

"Well, don't worry. If he does, he'll have to fight Dallas and a damn dragon!" Tim said. "That can't be an easy feat."

Cherry gave a nod. She looked at Tim.

"You look like you want to say something," Tim said. 

"It's just, I got thinking..." Cherry began. "It's just, I know one day I'll die, and I'm scared to leave him alone. But at the same time, I know that if he ever has a kid, he'll die, regardless of if he is the one to carry it or not. It's a lonely life his species leads, the only one there can be except for a brief 20 years which isn't exactly a long time to them...I guess I just have been thinking about death ever since the fire and how unpredictable it is." 

"He can get pregnant?" Tim arched a brow. 

"Yes. He has to change his front, but he can." Cherry said. 

"Front?" Tim asked.

"It's complicated, but he can change his sex on a whim. Nature fairies can be either, usually only for reproductive purposes. If he lays with a female, he doesn't have to change his front. Lays with a man, however, and wishes for a child, he must change his front to his feminine form." Cherry looked at Tim. "He has all the parts, he just can't use them without the appropriate front." 

Tim nodded and looked at Dallas, before smiling as he saw Two-bit arrive first in his large, dragon form. The dragon faded into the human form. 

"I see you're still alive." Two-bit grinned. "I'm surprised Dal didn't kill you." 

"Gee. I see you still enjoy me." Tim rolled his eyes. Two-bit felt like a friend o him, despite the fact they had only met once before. Perhaps it was because Two-bit was just so charming. 

Two grinned and turned to Dallas and gave him a smirk. 

They waited for the others, the elven brothers announcing they'd be slightly late with news of their own. The group held warm conversations with each other, informing each other of changes. there weren't many, but Tim felt warm and safe in the group of friends. Even Dallas was finally smiling instead of pacing with a scowl. 

Finally, the brothers arrived with another figure that Tim instantly recognized. "Curly?" He called out, standing up. 

Curly turned to him and the brothers embraced. "I missed you," Curly said. 

Tim chuckled and ruffled Curly's hair. "I missed you too. Where were you?"

"Well, it's a long story. You see, I went to Jane, made out with her for a while, then she dumped me because her father arranged her to some prick in the capital. then I went out into the forest to mope and I landed in one of my own traps. I was stuck down there for a few days before I finally got out, and then finally I went to see dear Angela and she said you went out looking for me and hadn't been home for nearly three days, so I went out searching for you and here I am." Curly shrugged.

"Three days? It's been almost 2 months I've been here..." Tim looked confused. 

"Time must pass faster here." Ponyboy shrugged. 

Tim agreed and sat down. He smiled as Curly sat beside him. 

"So what did you call us here for?" Steve asked. 

"My father burned down Hyln...I believe he is trying to start a war, much like the first King." Dallas said. 

"You mean, beyond just the light versus dark?" Tim asked. 

"Yes," Dallas says. "If he wants a war, we'll give him a war." 

Darry looked at the two humans. "We should teach them to use a sword. I have no doubt they will be involved. Especially if the legend is true."

"Legend?" Curly asked. 

"There is an old legend that a human would come and free us on the darkest eve," Dallas said. "My great-grandmother was a seer, and she predicted it. It became legend."

"So we can learn to use a sword?" Curly grinned, bouncing slightly from where he sat. 

"Yes." Tim grinned. "Exactly that."

Dallas gave a small, brief smile. "We will begin in the morning. I suggest you all go back and inform your leaders and people." He told everyone, who gave a nod and departed, except for Cherry.

* * *

"So this is Illusia? The one mother always told about?" Curly asked, looking at Tim as night fell onto the land. 

"Yes," Tim said. 

"I can't believe it. I mean, I never doubted her, but I thought maybe it was long gone. the fact it is here...and thriving. It's incredible." Curly grinned. 

"I didn't believe it at first, but I can't not now. I mean, I'm here." Tim said. 

"Do you miss it? Our world?" Curly asked. 

"Parts of it." Tim shrugged. "You, Angie, Clyde. But oddly, I don't."

Curly looked at him.

"You know, if we do go back, we probably shouldn't say anything. Some things are best kept secret. besides, we already fucked this place up once, I don't want to do it again." Tim said, looking at him. 

"Do you ever plan on going back?" Curly asked. 

"I don't know..." Tim sighed softly. 

"Is it because of that fairy?" Curly grinned, a teasing grin on his face. 

Tim turned to him and scoffed. "No."

"Uh-huh, sure." Curly teased. "Come on, just admit you wanna bang the guy and then act on it." 

"Curly!" Tim scolded, his face reddening. "I can't just do that."

"Yeah, 'cause you're a coward." Curly snickered, laughing more and Tim hit him in the back of the head.

"Shut up, prick." Tim huffed, his face red now.

Curly just grinned and watched the moon rise. 

* * *

The next morning came and the brothers woke up early, much too excited for sleep.

Well, Curly was anyway. 

"This is so great!" He grinned. "I'm gonna use a sword!"

Tim smiled at his brother as he got dressed for the day. He and curly had always shared a room, so neither brother was unbothered changing. "Relax. We still have breakfast and probably just basics today." 

"Still. A Sword!" Curly beamed, racing out of the room once he was dressed. 

Tim rolled his eyes and followed his brother out of their room, into the grand hall where breakfast was being served.

Dallas was already waiting for them, eating his pancakes. "Eat up boys, we have to get started soon."

Curly hopped in a seat and Tim calmly got in his, although he was excited as well.

Breakfast had a pleasant air to it. Tim found breakfast to be his favorite time in Illusia, and not just because the food was spectacular, although it was. No. it was the peace he felt, the happiness. He felt more alive here than he had since his mother had died. Tim never considered himself depressed, but he had always felt empty since his mother's passing, and Illusia seemed to be filling the hole that had been left. It had been a long time since he had seen Curly this excited, and he was sure Angela would love it too. He hoped he could convince her to join him here. Perhaps he should stay.

* * *

He cleared his thoughts as they finished breakfast, letting Dallas lead them outside where there was a large open field with two swords.

"Today we work on the basics," Dallas said, handing them both a sword. 

The sword felt balanced, although heavier than what Tim assumed when it finally was in his hand.

"Hold your sword firmly, yet not so firm that your knuckles turn white. Just enough to make sure it stays in place. Your blade must become an extension of you." Dallas said, adjusting Curlys hand slightly. "Make sure it is comfortable on the handle. Move your wrists, and your sword should follow easily."

Tim tilted his wrist, smiling as the blade moved without wobbling. 

"Good. Now, your feet must be shoulder-width apart, your knees slightly bent. You must maintain a strong center so that you may have an enemy strike you and not be knocked back. Part of sword fighting is holding your ground as long as possible hoping your opponent will tire out before you do, and hopefully will lose their center. We will talk about true combat tomorrow." Dallas said, adjusting their positions, lingering slightly longer around Tim. 

They trained for hours, until lunch, and then for about an hour after before Dallas decided that was enough for today. 

Tim went into the palace and soaked in the bath as he thought about the war and what would happen, and about Dallas. Perhaps what Curly said had some truth, not that he would tell Curly that. 

* * *

Dallas was sat in the great hall while the humans bathed. He was thinking about many things and curiously turned to the tapestry before seeing something new. He looked closer and frowned as he saw that a spot on the family tree had been revealed. 

**_ "Tim Shepard" _ **

It said along with a picture of him. 

"Shit..." Dallas said in a whisper. Things just got a lot more complicated. 


	9. Connection

Tim woke up in the morning to his brother and Nectar talking eagerly. Tim wasn't sure what they were talking about, but it didn't matter to him. His mind was still swirling with thoughts of the war and Dallas. He sighed as he gently rubbed his face with a grunt. He circled his neck and rolled his shoulders before forcing himself out of bed. He popped his knuckles as he walked to his dresser and grabbed some clothes. He went to change in a bathroom and stepped out.

He stepped outside into the main chamber where Dallas was sitting with his young fairies surrounding him. Tim smiled a bit at the sight and approached him. 

"Morning." He said, walking behind Dallas. 

"Morning," Dallas replied, turning to face him. The fairies giggled and fluttered away. Dallas watched them leave before returning to face Tim. 

"I think I will train with you one on one," Dallas said, looking at him. "That good with you?"

Tim gave a nod and sat by him. "Aside from that, what's the plan for today?"

"I have some work to get done, and then we depart for Azer since that is the base of operations for this," Dallas said, looking at Tim with a small smile. 

Tim nodded once more and gave a small smile. "So, when do you want to do our training?"

"Tonight," Dallas said. "You should pack up with your brother, we have a long journey ahead."

"Oh and Dal...where did you learn to fight?" Tim asked. 

"You learn a lot in 1,700 years," Dallas said. 

Tim had a feeling there was more but didn't pry. It wasn't his business, and he had pried enough into the fairy's life. "Will I get to stay after the war?"

Dallas pursed his lips. "I don't know yet." he lied, knowing Tim would stay. After all, the tapestry said they were going to be together, which meant Tim would stay. He did not divulge that information to the human, unsure how he would react. 

Tim nodded and gave a smile before returning to his and Curly's room.

"Pack up kiddo," he said, looking at his brother. 

"Why?" Curly asked.

"We got a journey to make," Tim said. 

* * *

About two hours later, they were ready to go, and Tim felt an odd sense of glee as Curley got to have the shitty flight experience of being held upside down while he got to be on Dally's back. 

"I knew I was your favorite!" he called out. 

Dallas chuckled. If only he knew how right he was. He moved the thought aside as he saw the elven brothers waiting for them, along with armies from the other species. He landed, setting Curly down. 

"That was horrible!" Curly yelled, looking a little green. 

Ponyboy chuckled and Curly grinned. "Well, hello beautiful~" He purred to Pony. 

Ponyboy blushed, unsure what to say. He wasn't sure what to say, he had never been flirted with before. 

"Curly..." Tim sighed scoldingly. "Forgive my brother, he's a little flirty."

Pony tore his eyes away from Curly. "Er... it's fine." Pony stammered, flustered. 

Curly grinned. "Dal, can I have a day off to play with this new friend of mine?" He asked with a cute pout, circling his arm around Pony's waist, who only got more red in the face. 

"Cur-" Tim began

"Sure. Only if you keep his face that red." Dallas smirked. 

"Oh, I can do that." Curly grinned, pinching Pony in the butt, making the elf yelp a bit. 

"Guys, help." He whined to his brothers, who were enjoying it far too much to help. 

"No." Soda grinned. 

"Enjoy your playtime." Dallas grinned, walking off with the elder brothers. 

Tim turned to Pony. "You can shove him off if he gets too touchy. He knows when to stop." He said. 

Pony gave a quick nod, watching as Tim followed the others.

* * *

Tim followed the brothers through town. They showed off all the little districts they had set up for all the armies that seemed fairly jovial for now, although Tim knew that likely wouldn't last forever. He admired the town, of what he had seen, the elves had by far the most beautiful architecture. 

He didn't listen much to the politics, enjoying the quietness. The calm before the storm. He hoped the war would be over soon and they would be victorious and Illusia could live without the threat of tyrant. He also hoped Dallas could permanently remove his father's shadow from the land of the Dark Elves. 

"Well, you guys make yourselves comfortable," Darry said, looking at them. "The king wants to strike in one month." 

Dallas nodded and looked at Tim. "I'm going to take a nap and then we will train." He said as he walked to one of the makeshift beds that were under the canopy provided. 

Tim nodded a bit and smiled at him. "Sleep well," he said. 

* * *

About 3 hours later Dallas woke up. Curly and Pony had not yet returned, but Tim knew they were fine. He hoped so anyway. 

Dallas stretched as he rose. "You ready?" he asked, looking at Tim. 

Tim nodded and grabbed his sword. Dallas grabbed one as well and lead him to an empty clearing. 

"Show me your basics," Dallas said. He watched Tim like a parent watching a child use power tools for the same time. 

Tim got into position and looked at Dallas who came from behind and gently maneuvered Tim into the proper stance, his hands lingering on his hips for a while before pulling away. 

"Good," Dallas said. "Now, close your eyes and imagine your blade as an extension of your arm and extend it forward quickly. This is called a jab. This is one of your fastest attacks, but it tires you faster." Dallas said. 

Tim closed his eyes and extended his right arm forward. 

"Again," Dallas said. 

Tim did so again. 

"Good," Dallas said. "Now, a slice. Simply move your arm from one side or another, this can be quick or slow. Make sure to keep a good hold on your blade." 

Tim took a few slices with his blade.

"Good. You're such a fast learner." Dallas said. 

Tim smiled at him. 

Dallas went to his front and smirked at him. "Okay, now, hold your sword in front of yourself and block me," Dallas said, bringing his sword down. Tim naturally raised his blade and felt a jolt through his body as he felt the swords collide. 

"You'll get used to the jolt," Dallas said. "Again."

Dally struck again and Tim raised his sword and centered himself, making the jolt not as bad.

"There you go," Dallas said, continuing to strike, and every time Tim managed to block it. He didn't notice but eventually, he was pinned against a tree. He felt a heat rush through him as he gazed into Dallas's blue eyes. His heart was racing, although he wasn't sure if it was from the exercise or Dallas. 

Dallas stared at Tim and then to his lips and leaned in.

Tim slightly parted his lips and drew closer... 

"Hey! Guys! Guess who has a hot date!" Curly's voice echoed through the hills. 

_ "Not me."  _ Tim thought sourly but stepped away. 

He and Dallas set their swords aside and went to greet Curly. Tim felt a cold jolt in the pit of his stomach. 


	10. in the Dark of the Night

Surtyr sat on his throne as he gazed over the courtroom from his high perch. He clenched his hands, frowning at the wrinkles he saw appearing. He called for a servant.

"Yes sir?" The servant looked at him curiously.

"Bring me a fairy. Make it plump." Surtyr ordered. 

"Yes sir. Right away Sir." The servant bowed before hobbling away. 

The servant made his way through the twisted halls of the palace of the dark king before reaching a room that was teeming with fairies who were trapped inside small cages. He walked over to a cage that held a nice red fairy. He grabbed the fairy by her wings from the cage and carried it up to Surtyr. 

"Here you are, sir." He said, presenting the fairy to the king. 

"Excellent." Surtyr grinned and held the struggling fairy in his large hand. He grinned before grabbing the fairy's head and pulling it off as though it was a cork to a bottle. He held the fairy to his mouth and tilted his head back, drinking the sweet blood like a shot. Once done, he dropped the fairy onto the floor. He smirked, watching the wrinkles on his hand fade. 

"Dami, any news?" He asked, watching his general walk into the room. 

"Your son is amassing an army." She said. She walked to the king and hopped onto his lap, smiling as she felt the king's arms circle around her waist as he inhaled her scent.

"Is that so, and have you any plan to defeat that army?" Surtyr asked, trailing his large across her body, making the small elf shiver.

"I always do sir," she smirked, leaning into the touches bestowed to her by her master.

Surtyr grinned and bit her neck and lapped the blood up. "Hm, excellent. That's why you're my favorite you know." He said, looking at her.

"Oh, I know sir." Dami grinned. 

* * *

Dallas watched the troops train from atop the hill. He was glad to see they were progressing so nicely in less than a month. He looked down at his choker that was currently in his hand. He ran his hand across the gem and closed his eyes before putting the band back across his neck. He hummed at the feeling of comfort it gave him before he stood up, walking to the canopy they had been given by the elves. He stretched his wings, reaching behind the rub the space on his back where they both met. He had been tense since learning Tim was essentially his soulmate. A few months ago, the idea of being with a human, or anyone for that matter, would have bugged him to no end, but now, it didn't seem so bad. His mind began to wander to the very real possibility that he would outlive Tim. Humans lived such short lives compared to him, it would crush him as Tim turned old and Gray, and Dallas would remain young for thousands of years, then Tim would die and he would be all alone for the next millennium unless they were to have a child, but then that child would be alone for thousands of years. He wondered if his mother felt the same sense of doubt.

He blinked the thoughts away and hopped in a bed and bent his wings to the front of him, plucking out feathers that were loose and smoothing others out. He hadn't been doing much grooming of his wings lately. He sighed and gave up and laid back, looking up at the boring white canopy. A part of him was worried about the war, but a larger part of him was eager for revenge. He huffed and looked around before letting his eyes closed, a little nap never hurt anyone. 

Tim pulled away after a few hours of training and set his sword aside. He felt as though he was learning nicely, but he still wasn't on the level of Dallas or Two-bit, which made sense since he knew both of them were old, and Two-bit seemed almost ancient.

He brushed it off and walked up the hill, smiling as he saw Dallas was asleep. His chest felt warm at the sight as he watched the fairy sleep. He couldn't describe the feeling he felt when around the fairy, but he didn't hate it by any means. He hummed softly and pet his hair gently, finding it to be pleasantly soft. He stopped as Dallas shifted but didn't wake up. Tim gave a small smile and sat in a nearby bed, grabbing some water and drinking it, enjoying the cool water. It was water so cold it almost hurt to drink, but it felt so refreshing in the hot summer sun in Azer. 

He sighed in relief and smiled as he saw Curly training with Ponyboy. Maybe he would finally get something to tease Curly about. He turned to look at Dallas again and smiled. Curly may have been on to something because being with Dallas didn't seem nearly as bad nowadays. He looked up and saw two figures approaching on the horizon riding what looked like horses. He stood and walked down to greet the figures, his eyes widening when he saw Robert and Randy. Soda had joined him and gave a glare to the dark elves, but didn't make any moves beyond that. 

"Bob, Randy. What are you two doing here?" Soda asked, looking at the two, disdain flooding his voice. 

"Nothing bad if that's what you are asking. For you guys anyways." Randy responded. 

"What is that supposed to mean?" Soda arched a brow, crossing his arms. 

"We're joining you," Bob said, looking at him. "We didn't sign up for the shit Surtyr is having us do. Burndown a whole damn forest. We may be bad, but we're not villains."

Soda gave a brief nod. "Make yourselves at home then. We have some training available over there." He pointed behind them.

The dark elves gave a nod and hopped off their horses and tied them by the other horses, who seemed to welcome the new additions easily. 

"I'll go tell Dallas," Tim said. 

Soda gave a nod and walked off. 

"Tell Dallas what?" Curly asked. 

"That we have some potential spies of course," Tim smirked.

He walked back up the hill to the canopy and took one more second to admire how pretty the fairy looked before gently shaking his shoulder. "Dallas. Dallas." 

Dallas blinked his eyes open and sat up with a yawn, his wings stretching out, one nearly hitting Tim in the face. "What is it?"

"Robert and Randy joined us. I think we could use them as spies." Tim said, looking at him. 

"We won't want them as spies. But we can use an ability they have." Dallas said. 

"And what is that?" Tim asked.

"The fact they are terrible at their jobs, come with me," Dallas said, standing and walking down to the training field where he could just see the orange hair of Robert. 

Tim followed the fairy to the two elves. 

"Boys," Dallas said to them. 

"Yes?" Randy said as they both turned to look at the fairy. 

"You two want to join us?" Dallas asked. 

The two elves gave a nod and looked at him. 

"Good. Then I want you to go back after tomorrow and do anything you can to sabotage the king. We need chaos. Can you two do that?" He said.

Randy gave a nod. "Of course. We didn't say we had left, so we will return tomorrow. As far as the king knows we were just scouting. But we need something to give him as proof."

Dallas thought for a moment. "Tell him we will be waiting on Hangman's hill," Dallas said

The two elves gave a nod. 

"We will leave tonight," Robert said.

"Good," Dallas said, walking away. 

Tim followed after the fairy and looked at him. "You sure we can trust them?"

"Yes. Their cowards. They're loyal to whatever side they think will win, and I'm confident we have this in the bag." Dallas grinned. 

"And if we don't?" Tim asked. 

"I don't think we should talk about that," Dallas said. "After all, my father fears you."

"Why?" Tim arched a brow. 

The prophecy." Dallas replied, looking at him. 

"Are you scared?" Tim asked. "I am."

"A little, but this isn't my first war," Dallas said. Well, it wasn't a full lie, he wasn't scared for himself, but he was scared for Tim. The human had become special to him, and he wasn't sure what he'd do if he were to lose Tim. He didn't voice these thoughts, although his mind drifted back to their almost kiss. He would kiss Tim, but now was not the time, and part of Dallas wondered if he would ever get the chance. While the tapestry had never been wrong as far as he was aware, he still didn't trust it. Why would it put him with someone so delicate? 

He gave a small smile to Tim and watched the troops continue to train. 

As night fell, he and Tim watched the sunset and the stars rise high into the sky. He felt at peace like this, in the calm before the storm. 


	11. Bleeding Heart

The air was cold that morning, cold and tense. There was dampened feeling across the camp as the soldiers woke up the morning of the day that would determine the fate of the world itself. 

Tim woke up and glanced over at Dallas who was already awake. He was still changing, but Tim was drawn to Dally's clothing, or rather armor. 

Dallas's hair was wild and curled, as though the wind had blown through it. He wore a brown bodysuit that had silver plates on his shoulder, chest, knees, and silver boots. He wore fingerless gloves as well. His shoulders also had wolfs fur. He had various belts that had daggers and of course his sword. He had black paint on various parts of his body. 

"Morning," Dallas said, turning to look at Tim. He tossed him some armor and turned back around. 

"Morning," Tim replied, catching the armor and putting it on over his clothes. It felt heavy, yet not so heavy that Tim felt weighed down, just safe. He supposed that was the point. 

"Grab your sword, remember your training," Dallas said, looking at Tim, his heart racing so hard he worried for a bit he might die before the battle even began.

Tim sighed as he grabbed his sword and turned to look at Dallas. His heart raced a bit and he finally closed his eyes. If he was going to die, he wanted to die happily. He looked at Dallas and walked up to him. "Hey, Dallas?" 

Dallas turned to him. "What is it?"

Tim looked up at him and cupped Dallas's face. His skin was warm and smooth. 

Dallas made a confused face but closed his eyes. He trusted Tim. 

Tim pursed his lips and took a deep breath before leaning in close and looking at Dallas's plump lips before he finally connected them. The racing in his heart stopped, and all feeling left his body as he felt light and weightless. Suddenly everything around him didn't matter, just him and Dallas, here. His hand dropped from Dallas's face as he wrapped his arms around Dallas's neck. 

Dallas was stunned and took a moment before slowly kissing back. Tim's lips were slightly chapped, but Dallas ignored it, he doubted his were much better. He wrapped his arms around Tim's waist and felt his wings wrap themselves around Tim as if shielding him from the world. He felt Tim bite his lip and he naturally opened his mouth, moaning a bit as Tim's tongue explored his mouth. He didn't fight the wet intrusion, merely giving in. 

Eventually, the annoying thing called air forced the two to part, a trail of saliva connecting man and fairy. 

"Wow..." was all Dallas could mutter out.

Tim gave a nod and pulled away a bit, wiping the saliva from his face. "I love you, Dal," he said softly after a moment. 

"I love you too..." Dallas said softly, unwrapping his wings from around Tim. He rested his forehead against Tim's and let out a small sigh.

"We should join the others," Tim said after a minute of silence passed. 

Dallas nodded and took Tim's hand, walking with him down to the army that was waiting on Hangman's hill. 

Soda looked at them and gave a small smile. He and Dallas shared a hug, and soon, the whole 

group gave a hug. 

Tim pulled Curly into a hug and nuzzled him. 

"I'm scared..." Curly admitted. 

"Me too," Tim said. "But everything will be fine." Tim wasn't sure who he was convincing more, Curly, or himself. 

Curly gave a nod and smiled softly. 

* * *

As the sun rose, the group saw the dark king's army arrive. Tim tensed up as his breath caught in his throat. It seemed as though the whole kingdom had been trained by the king to fight. He saw young children in the army, and Tim felt anger wash over him. How dare the bastard drag kids into the fight? 

"Shit...that's a lot." Soda frowned, looking at Dallas. 

"It is." Dallas agreed. 

A hush fell over the valley as the two armies faced each other down. 

Tim took a breath to steel his nerves as he turned and looked at his army, Dallas, and finally to the king. 

King Surtyr was a large, beefy man in both muscle and fat. He had dark black hair and deep purple skin with ears pointed high. He was a head taller than everyone else on the battlefield and at least twice as wide. He had a square, orc-ish face, and flat nose. He had long black hair tied into dreadlocks with a sharp, pointed beard. He wielded a giant battle ax and wore heavy armor. He looked as though he wore a dozen men on his own. Tim couldn't believe this was the man who helped create his Dallas, he seemed so impossible, but yet so possible. He was glad Dallas bore no resemblance to the elf, he was not exactly easy on the eyes. 

Tim turned away and saw father and son stare each other down. 

"Son. You are far smaller than I imagined." Surtyr said. 

Dallas didn't respond. 

Surtyr sighed. "I was hoping when I took you in you would become mighty like me. You’re just a 

skinny little runt. Much like your mother."

Dallas's glare intensified. "You know nothing."

"I know many things about you," Surtyr said, looking at Dallas. 

"Do you?" Dallas said. 

"I do. And I'll tell you all about them as I slash your throat." Surtyr grinned, readying his ax. 

"I'd like to see you try." Dallas grinned. 

With those words, both sides rushed each other. 

* * *

Tim dodged a blow coming from his right as he turned and stabbed a dark elf in the neck, spinning around kicking the knee of the elf on his left, hearing a loud crack. He walked forward and blocked a blow from a sword and crouched down, stabbing the dark elf in the thigh with his sword and tore it out. He blocked another blow from the dark elf and placed his sword into the dark elf's skull, pulling it away and watching the blood spray, dousing his armor. He huffed and continued, smirking as he saw an arrow hit an elf in the back of the neck from Soda, who was leading the archers.

Soda gave a grin and readied his bow just in time to hit another dark elf. As one drew near he stabbed it in the neck with an arrow before knocking that same Arrow in and shooting another elf. 

Tim sliced through a child, which made him stop for a moment from guilt, but he had to keep going. He glanced over and saw Dallas was surrounded by at least twenty soldiers. 

Just as he went over to help, Dallas flicked his wrist and vines shot up, grabbing the elves and holding them in place as he spun his sword in a circle, decapitating them all. He smirked at Tim before grabbing a Dagger and throwing it behind Tim, hitting a dark elf straight in the chest. "Watch your back!" Dallas called out as he rose into the air with his wings and readied six blades in his hands, throwing them all and hitting six dark elves, killing them. 

It was at that moment that Tim decided Dallas was pretty awesome.

He ducked as he saw fire blow past him, looking up and smiling at Two-bit who landed and crushed seven dark elves under his weight and eating at least nine more who tried to kill the titanic dragon. 

Tim turned and decapitated a dark elf as he went through the battle, killing a few more as he saw Curly and Pony holding off a hoard that came. Tim decided to help clear some of them, getting a grin from his brother who punched an elf. Tim sliced another dark elf, elbowing one from behind as he killed the first one, spinning around and slicing his blade into the second one's shoulder, cutting the arm clean off. He felt a tug on his ankle and he fell, barely managing to roll over in time to block a blow. They shoved their swords against one another before Tim managed to kick the dark elf off of him and kill it. He stood up, taking a moment to gather his bearings before stabbing another elf in the neck. 

He suddenly felt an arrow lodge in his shoulder, sending him rolling down the hill. He looked up and saw a female dark elf, wearing barely anything that could be considered clothing, let alone armor. He recognized her from the ambush.

"This ought to please my master, I'll bring your head to him on a platter." Her voice was light, bubbly, yet also hoarse, which was an odd combination. She hopped down as Tim stood up. She had a blade Tim had never seen before, but he didn't let it phase him. He readied his stance and blade, growling at her smirk. She rushed him and he dodged her first attack. He circled and swiped at her legs, missing and hissing when she cut into his other shoulder. Tim turned and hit her in the hip. Her face darkened and she took another swipe at him, hitting him once in the abdomen and again in the shoulder where his armor was long gone at this point. 

He hissed in pain and took another swipe, hitting her in the breast and kicking her in the knee, grabbing her by the neck and throwing her over his shoulder, a little track he had learned when fighting rough cattle on the farm. He walked up to her and stabbed her in the spine. 

She gasped in pain and stopped moving, falling onto the earth. 

Tim relaxed for a moment to catch his breath. He reached down to grab his blade but found it instead facing him as he pulled forward. He felt a sharp pain seize through him which made him gasp. He looked down to see the dark elf had impaled him with his own sword, locking human and elf together on the same blade. 

"You should really make sure I'm dead first..." the dark elf whispered out, using the last of her strength to push Tim off the blade, which would speed up his bleeding.

Tim felt his vision grow blurry before it went to black. 

* * *

Dallas felt worried as Tim was nowhere to be found. He flew up high and searched for him, dodging an iron net that was thrown trying to catch him. "Tim!" He called out, coughing as he reached a part of a forest that was on fire. He flew for what felt like hours when he saw two bodies. He landed and saw Dami dead, with what looked to be Tim's blade. He felt a dread pool in his core as he turned around, looking for the wielder of the blade. His eyes widened as he saw a body close by. He raced over, kneeling down and turning it, gasping when he saw it was Tim. 

"Tim?" He asked, rather dumbly. "Tim?" 

Of course, he didn't respond. 

Dallas suddenly felt empty and sick, his wings drooping. He looked down and saw the stab and other wounds Tim had gained from the fight. He looked down and then back up at the sky, which was far too happy and sunny for Dallas's liking. How dare the sky be so happy at a time like this. He swallowed a lump in his throat. He tried to move but felt weighed down. He knew he was needed in the battle, but he couldn't move. His limbs simply didn't want to work. He gently caressed the human's lukewarm face. "Don't worry," he whispered gently. "I'll end this." He planted a small kiss to the human's cheekbones. 

"Well, isn't that touching." He heard a deep voice say from behind. Dallas felt his wings puff up and his body tense. His hand clenched around the blade as he growled lowly. 

"You..." Dallas drawled out, standing up slowly. 'You did this..."

"I did nothing. You are the one who sent him here." Surtyr said. 

Dallas turned slowly before tilting his head up, looking Surtyr in the eye. Dallas's pupils were small, predentary. 

"You raped my mother, you killed Cherry's mother. You took my friends' parents away from them. You took my fairies because you are selfish. But your biggest mistake was killing my mate!" He declared, anger rising with each accusation he threw towards his father. "And for that, you will die and I will tear your kingdom straight off this map! Everyone will remember you for the coward you are! Children will hear your stories and laugh at the foolish king who dared to cross not only one, but two nature fairies!"

He rushed his father, sword meeting Axe. Dallas's face held nothing but fury as he dodged a swing from Surtyr's mighty ax. He grabbed a Dagger and stabbed his father in the shoulder, pulling himself onto his back piggyback style as he wrapped his legs around the King, wrapping an arm around his neck as he attempted to stab into Surtyr's neck, but instead felt a wing snap as Surtyr leaned backward, crushing Dallas and breaking one of his wings under the weight. 

Dallas yelled in agony at the searing pain that passed through his wing. He clenched his teeth and struggled under the weight of the dark king. 

Surtyr grinned as he nearly brought his Axe down to Dally's neck, but it was caught by a rope that yanked back. Dallas looked over to see Curly. 

"Hey, bitch! You ain't so tough! Your mother was a toothpick!" Curly yelled. 

Surtyr growled, looking at Curly. 

"What are you gonna do you pussy?" Curly hit his chest before opening his arms invitingly. "Well, what are you do? Are you just going to stand there gawking? Aren't I pissing you off? Yeah! Your just a little fucking coward bitch!" 

Surtyr rose and growled, stalking towards Curly. 

Curly continued, undeterred. "Oh, you move so slow. I intimidate you don't I? How's my scary face working?" Curly did his best to make Surtyr's face, pulling his nose up to look more like a pig snout. He made chicken noises. "Oh look at me! I'm a big Chicken! Fear me!" Curly said, making a poor imitation of Surtyr's face, which only served to piss the King off.

Dallas watched him, confused, before realizing what he was doing. Distracting. He slowly grabbed his sword and approached his father from behind. 

"Nyeh Nyeh Nyeh na na!" Curly called out in a nasally voice, making his hands on the size of his head look like antlers as he blew a raspberry at Surtyr. He kept making various taunts, glad Dallas had caught on as he continued to piss off the king, getting more worried though as the king drew much closer. He took a few steps backward, giving another taunt. 

Dallas continued stalking closer, waiting as his father raised his ax to attack Curly before he stabbed him in the spine with his sword, climbing up and stabbing his last Dagger into Surtyr’s neck as he started to slide it across. "Burn in Tartarus." he hissed, and for good measure after slitting the king's throat, he stabbed him in the groin. "And that was for mother." 

He and Curly fist-bumped as Dallas heard a winning chant from the Curtis brothers and Two-bit gave a victorious roar. Finally, it was over. 

He turned back around and walked to Tim, but saw a faint figure standing over him. She had long brown hair that flowed to her ankles in a large braid. She wore a sheer white dress that had a golden belt with golden armbands that snaked up her arms and a golden necklace.

"Mother?" He asked hesitantly. 

The woman turned to face him and gave a small smile. "You have done well my son." 

He gave a small smile before he began to cry from all the emotions. "Mother..." He choked out. 

The woman walked closer and gently cupped his face. She had a slight glow to her and was opaque yet still just physical enough to give a cold touch. She wiped the tears from Dallas's face and kissed his head. "You were so brave, Sweetheart," she said softly, tucking a piece of his hair behind his ear. 

He looked at her and then down, thinking of Tim. "Mother...can you...the human..." He tried to form the question. 

His mother gave a small smile. "Of course. Anything for you." 

Dallas moved closer, watching as she knelt down by Tim and gently breathed out a golden mist into Tim's nose before she rested her hand on his major wound, a soft glow appearing.

"Dallas, don't forget to smile." She said, before fading away as Tim sat up with a gasp, coughing. 

Dallas rushed over and sat him up. 

Tim looked at him and gave a small smile. 

Dallas smiled. "We won." He said, bending down and kissing Tim once more. 


	12. Epilouge

_**2 years later....** _

Tim stood nervously at the alter, fiddling with a tie that made been made from silk that the fairies had collected. 

"Would you stop already?" Curly hissed quietly. "You're going to ruin it. Don't forget this was your idea."

"Sorry..." Tim sighed. 

Curly rolled his eyes before smirking. "You look good." 

"Thanks." Tim grinned. His hair was slicked back and he wore an outfit similar to what he wore on his first starfall, which made sense, considering it was starfall tonight. He smiled a bit and took a breath. 

Tim hadn't changed much, besides the fact he now drank some of Dally's blood which extended his life, much Like Surtyr had, but for a more wholesome purpose. He smiled at his brother and all the guests. Dallas was hidden behind a wall of pink flowers. 

Everyone was there. The Curtis family (reunited with their parents), Two-bit, Cherry and Marcia who had a small fawn sitting between them they had adopted a few weeks ago. Two-bit was sat alone besides Randy and Bob, who had made amends with everyone, Randy and Sodapop often sharing advice on painting nails. Sodapop had Steve beside him, who kept fiddling with the suit Soda had made him, much to the elf's annoyance. 

Tim smiled a bit with a chuckle and smiled as he saw the flowers be slightly parted by Nectar, whos wings were flapping excitedly. She looked up at the sky before fluttering back behind the flower curtain. 

Tim looked up as well and saw the sky darkening, which made him smile a bit. Soon.

As the sky darkened and the stars came and the land around them became far more fantastical. Tim stared intently as the flower wall was parted by Dallas, who was wearing a lovely Black and silver suit that had a long cape. He had a crown of white flowers around his head and weaving their way across his body. His hair was gently curled and he once again radiated a bright light thanks to the beginnings of Starfall. He gave a flustered grin before stepping out from behind the curtain. Everyone starred at the fairy as the rather flustered fairy made his way down the grassy aisle.

They had combined both fairy and human wedding traditions, forgoing parts of both. 

Dallas gave a smile as he reached him and Curly began to speak. 

Tim drowned him out in favor of looking at Dallas, who gave a smirk. 

"See something you like?" Dallas whispered teasingly. 

"Always." Tim grinned back. When Curly stopped, he pulled Dallas close and kissed him once more as people cheered, and the fairies celebrated having two parents now. 

"I love you." Tim whispered.

"I love you too." Dallas responded, also in a whisper. "Tonight, I want to do the other half of this."

Tim smirked and kissed the fairy again. "I can do that~" He purred quietly.

Everything seemed alright in the world. 


End file.
